Pakistan marching on path of progress: PM

LAYYAH, May 2 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Tuesday said the country was marching on path of progress and prosperity, and rejected the politics of mud-slinging and blame-game being practiced by his opponents.
“We consider poiltics as a service to the people and will continue to serve them with devotion and dedication,” he said while addressing a gathering here after ground-breaking of the Rs 7 billion Layyah-Taunsa Bridge.
The prime minister said the new bridge would lessen the distance between Layyah and Taunsa by about 150 km and now the people of area would now reach the Indus Highway in half an hour.
He announced supply of natural gas for Chowk Azam, Krore and Fatehpur to fulfill the long-standing demand of the people, besides construction of a new 50 km long rural road and re-modelling of the Thal Canal.
Nawaz Sharif also announced the Prime Minister’s Healthcare Card Scheme for the area through which the government would fully fund treatment of the poor, who would now need not sell their property or take loans anymore for the purpose.
He said all the designated hospitals would provide free of charge treatment and medicines to the people suffering from serious ailments.
He said his government was proud to have launched a string of development schemes, unlike the opponents, who despite having government in a province and tall claims of making a new Pakistan, had in reality pushed the country towards backwardness.
The prime minister said all areas of economy were progressing as the government was equally focussing on them.
He appreciated what he described as the “one-mile long gathering” and said he was shocked to see empty chairs in the recent “jalsi” – a minuscule gathering of his opponents.
Over ten such ‘mini public gatherings’ could be accomodated in the today’s PML-N gathering, he added.
The people, he said, had rejected such leaders in the general election 2013 and today’s gathering was a reflection of the way things would turn up in 2018.
The prime minister said had there been no tent, the opposition would have been shocked to see the mammoth gathering. The “sea of people” had come out to support the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and his government.
The prime minister said he was in Layyah to launch a new string of development programmes.
He said when he came to power he had promised an end loadshedding and initiated a number of power projects and added he had already inauguarted a few while many them were nearing completion.
“By next year we will add 10,000 MW to the national grid. It will not only be abundant, but also cheap,” he added.
He said for the farmers the prices of Urea and DAP fertilizers had already been reduced, which would be further dropped in the coming days.
The prime minister named the parliamentarians of the area and appreciated their dedication and devotion, saying they were his friends. “Once a friend is a friend forever,” he added.
He said the enemies of Pakistan did not want to see completion of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as they were against development, employment opportunities, construction of roads and bridges, and an end to load-shedding.
He said, “Our opponents agenda is only to level baseless allegations, telling lies and creating chaos,” as evident from their daily tirade of accusations and lies, besides use of dirty language.
“However, we never stoop to such low levels.” If the opponents had any courage they should nominate a candidate for contesting an election from there and then they would have got confiscated the candidate’s surety bond, he added.
The prime minister paid tributes to the people of Layyah and surroundings and said he wanted to serve them by working round the clock.
Earlier, PML-N President Ahmed Ali Aulakh, Member of the National Assembly Sahibzada Faiz ur Hassan and Syed Saqlain Bukhari addressed the gathering and lauded the dynamic policies of the prime minister, which had taken the country on the path of progress and prosperity. They denounced the dark era of dictatorship of Pervez Musharraf that plunged the country into an economic chaos.
They said the prime minister was the only leader in the country, who was tackling the challenges being faced by the country head on for betterment of the people.